The present invention relates to improvements in the construction of the type of truss shown in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,283 which discloses parallel top and bottom wood chord members and diagonal metal compression and tension web members having perforated load transferring flanges at their ends connected to the sides of the chord members by toothed plates abutting the flanges with the teeth intermeshing the flange perforations and embedded in the wood chords. A modification of this type of truss is shown in my prior U.S. Pat. No 4,031,686, wherein wood compression web members are used alternately with metallic tension web members.
In both constructions the ends of the upper chord at the bearing supports where the greatest stresses occur are connected to diagonal metallic tension web members secured to one or both sides of the chord by toothed plates, and the centroid of each side plate where the stress is concentrated is spaced laterally from the bearing support creating eccentric loading or moment, which causes increased bending and compression stress in the top chord. With longer spans such increased stress may result in failure of the top chord. Prior attempts to correct this problem have included applying elongated steel strips to the top and bottom faces of the top chord, but this expedient results in excessive cost.